So you want to be a spider. Spitting poison, weaving webs, and making
life difficult in general for your adversaries sounds like a pretty
good way to do things, doesn't it? I agree, which is why I chose the
spider as my first monster to play in
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro" target="_blank">Lord
of the
Rings Online
and I'm glad you have too. Despite what some of the more obnoxious
players may (and most likely will) say when you're out there in
Middle-Earth, the spider plays a critical role in the destruction of
all that is good in the world. We've got a lot to cover as
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/66167" target="_blank">we
talk
about what to
expect when you take your first
steps out into the Ettenmoors, so
let's get started.

Getting to Know Your
Eight-Legged Friend

In the time I've spent hunting down the do-gooders in Ettenmoors, I've
come to discover that I'm normally the only spider in the area (at
least on my server). It didn't take long to figure out why. In general
(so that means "not everyone"), players that gravitate toward PvP tend
to have a need for instant gratification, or at the very least, a need
for being able to have a 50/50 shot at killing an opponent when they
start that character. For that reason, the spider does not seem to be a
popular choice because you will die. Not only will you die swiftly in
the beginning, but you will also die *often*. I can't stress how much,
so be prepared.

Despite this (or perhaps because of it), I think the spider is actually
a very fun monster to play. I've mentioned before that I'm fascinated
with the ability to experience a creature out of the norm in the gaming
world and in this case, the spider doesn't disappoint. From the moment
you begin crawling around, you realize you have just inherited an
entirely different set of objectives and needs for fulfilling your
character. Unfortunately, it also doesn't take long to realize that
you're insanely weak.

When you first enter the game as a monster, you'll find yourself near
the northern most point of the Ettenmoor map in a small outpost. From
there, you'll find a number of quest givers designated by the eye of
Sauron burning above their heads. Personally, I thought that was a nice
touch and couldn't help but give a small chuckle when I saw it. Collect
all the quests you can find and get ready to rumble.

Digging In

Unfortunately, the only rumbling I'd advise doing in the beginning
revolves around the limited PvE portion of the Ettenmoors setting. You
should head out of the gate and go east until you reach a set of trolls
that have been stuck in the sun. Search them and you'll grab a number
of troll stone slabs. These reappear at a fairly brisk pace, so come
back often. These stones can be turned in later on at one of the other
outposts, so be sure to grab the stone from these every chance you get,
even if you do not currently have the quest in question.

Once you've found the trolls, head south until you come across a set of
pools with Bloodsucking Leeches surrounding them. You've just
discovered your first target! This will also probably be the first
ass-whooping you receive so be prepared. The spider's strength lies in
its ability to do large amounts of damage not only from a distance, but
over time as well. Sadly, you don't have a lot of options this early in
your character's career, so just do the best you can and continue
attacking. As soon as an ability's cooldown timer has reset, use it
again. Rinse, repeat, rinse, and repeat some more. Eventually, you
should defeat your first few opponents.

If the Leech you chose was lounging around too close to one of his
buddies, heed my advice and realize that as a freshly hatched spider,
you have no chance in hell of taking them both on. Use your burrowing
ability to dig into the ground and hide. Both targets will go back to
their starting points and forget you ever existed. You'll soon discover
that your ability to hide under the earth is one of your greatest
abilities, especially when you're first starting out.

If the Leech you chose was lounging around too close to one of his
buddies, heed my advice and realize that as a freshly hatched spider,
you have no chance in hell of taking them both on. Use your burrowing
ability to dig into the ground and hide. Both targets will go back to
their starting points and forget you ever existed. You'll soon discover
that your ability to hide under the earth is one of your greatest
abilities, especially when you're first starting out.

The Ultimate Spider

As you complete various quests and (to a lesser extent) defeat the
creatures of the world, you'll gain Destiny Points. No, these aren't
some newfangled method of getting the latest Destiny’s Child
album (Cody made me do it), they're the points you'll spend to rise in
power. You'll be able to choose a wide variety of abilities. Some will
be new attacks, others will be passive effects.

Before spending any points, remember one very important lesson in case
you haven't learned it quite yet. You are extremely squishy. At this
point, Jell-O has more resilience than you, so the first thing I'd
recommend is increasing your armor ranking. This will grant an
additional 500+ points in armor and be invaluable, especially against
the NPC's of the world that you're going to spend so much time fighting
as you first start out.

After that, I'd spend my points in avoidance, resistance, and finally
in health. It may sound odd to save health for the end, but the first
rank only adds 5% and frankly, that doesn't add up to a whole lot. If
you're still super squishy and easy to hit, it doesn't really matter
how many hit points you have, does it? Finally, before you start saving
up for some more impressive abilities, I'd suggest paying to change
your appearance. Aside from satisfying a bizarre fashion need in your
spider, it also makes for some great camouflage. The blue and grey you
get turned into blends in with the rocks and stones *far* better than
the grey and red you were before.

So you've done a bunch of quests, repeated a number of them even more,
and finally have a slight chance of not being the first snowball to
melt on
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/66158" target="_blank">your
descent
into hell. You're ready to take
on your first *real* opponent.

The spider is not meant as a toe-to-toe character. They're great
support in terms of both damage and crowd control, but against any more
than a single opponent, they're going to have a rough time of it. As
you slowly gain power, the spider is a force to be reckoned with, but
even so, they're not designed for close combat.

Lying in wait and rooting stragglers from the main group are where the
strengths of the spider lie. Even in your early days, this is an
effective technique. As you gain strength, power, and skill, it becomes
an absolutely devastating tactic. No other monster has the ability to
pick off players in this method with the efficiency of the spider.

For ages, the spider has been a symbol of both power, and terror. And
now it's time for the world to be reminded why. Go out and kill some
Freeps!